Another majestic morning in the Smokies. A blue haze lingers in the valleys. Orange and gold sunlight scatters over the mountaintops just moments after sunrise. How many of the receding ridges can you count? Bring along a thermos of coffee and park your car right in front of this view.  First there’s a glow in the sky, then the ridges start to get detail. Soon the morning mist and the purples and oranges define the layers of the mountains. Wow!  The colors are now changing so fast you can’t take your eyes away. The ridges appearing out of the gloom with their soft pillow of fog, more than a dozen of them adding to the sense of depth in the scene.

These Smoky Mountains photos were taken from the Oconaluftee Valley Overlook on the Newfound Gap road, looking east into North Carolina at sunrise.

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If you are visiting the Smokies, please consider a stop at the William Britten Gallery on the historic Arts and Crafts Trail along Glades Road in Gatlinburg. In my complete display of Smoky Mountains photos you may find a special memory to remember the peace of the mountains.